I got a lot better and faster at typing when I switched to a das keyboard without key labels. It forced me to learn and not rely on looking down at the keys.
10/10 would recommend.. also it stops noobs from using your box.
I did the same, but the only thing that happened was that I couldn't type symbols (quick, type a $ without looking at the keyboard). I exchanged it with one with keycaps afterwards.
Probably. I've never measured them specifically. But since I can 'just' type them without looking or frequent mistakes, I'm probably faster since I never have to stop and look.
I've been using a glyphless keyboard for about 2 weeks now (accidentally) and I have definitely gone up in accuracy. Now I can hit $&% in the second try
Das was great, but starting with the 4 they changed manufacturers to china and have lame quality for the price. (I say this as someone who has a 12 year old das in front of me that I'm using to type this) I do totally recommend a blank keyboard, though! Just check out wasd or kb paradise or something
This is great for people who want to improve their speed but also already know how to touch type.
In the past three months, I've used these typing game websites and increased my average typing speed from around 80 WPM to 100 WPM.
Some other typing games are 10fastfingers [0] and typerush
[1].
If you don't already know how to touch type (i.e. you currently use two fingers to chicken peck), it's best to break that habit by learning to touch type.
As usual, that will depend a lot on your current typing technique and speed.
I learned touch typing on an electric typewriter at school decades ago so I don't really remember how it is to not know how to do it.
This is what I did to learn typing Dvorak well AFTER I left school:
- I used laminated piece of paper with the layout of the keyboard wedged between monitor and desk. This allowed me to see the keyboard layout without looking at the keyboard.
- I used programs to learn Dvorak
- I used metronome to learn to type constant stream of characters. Pressing shift registers as a single beat. This is not strictly necessary for typing speed but I really like the feel of producing characters this way. My colleagues say the sound is fantastic as if a machine was typing.
- I use only high quality mechanical keyboards with US international layout. I don't waste time on keyboards that have uneven action and don't register presses same way every time.
I've played MUDs for decades. Spamming "k monster", "st", and "i" doesn't really make you faster at typing anything other than those letters. I'd still miss frequently on ; {} () and [], as well as capital letters. It'll train your skill writing macros more than typing.
The biggest gain for me came from using a split keyboard. I had some bad habits where my dominant hand was crossing the keyboard to hit keys that my non-dominant one should have been hitting, and this was impacting my speed. By using a split keyboard, it forced my hands in to the correct posture and didn't allow one hand to dominate because the other side of the keyboard was too far away.
I was tracking my progress on typera.net, which is quite dated, but seems to have a nice balance of challenging words and phrases.
My opinion is that past a certain threshold, it really doesn't matter. Knowing what to write is almost always more of a challenge than actually writing it. In most cases you will get better returns by finding ways to distill your thoughts more efficiently.
How exactly you do that... I'm not sure. But I think it's true.
Ortholinear isn't necessarily better. I have a Plank collecting dust in my drawer. These designs are not anatomically better shaped than the standard staggered keyboard.
I have a Planck EZ. Thought it would make me faster since num pads are linear and I'm super fast on those. However, it's the switching between staggered and linear really dragged me down.
An ortholinear split keyboard is better (it's easier to rotate either half without the normal key stagger getting awkward), but I don't see any reason to buy a Plank.
I have two Ergodashes [1], one for home and one for the office.
It's also not going to increase typing speed. Learning to touch-type can do that, but 99% of the gain from changing the physical keyboard layout (ortholinear / split etc) or logical keyboard layout (Dvorak, Coleman etc) are for typing comfort.
Of course, a split keyboard with offset columns is something else. The parent comment specifically mentioned Preonic and OLKB. As for the Plank, the claim is that it reduces finger movements, but in reality it is just cramped and puts your writs and fingers in an awkward position. The only thing I liked about it is the layers, but then getting used to that just threw me off when using the standard layout.
One of the things that helped me the most was moving to the Dvorak keyboard. Dvorak lets me type at a higher speed, with less mistakes, and most important of all: with no hand cramping.
As for public/other computers that I don't get to configure: I found that I never really lost any speed on Qwerty. Whether that's the norm or I got lucky, I am not sure. Also, I find Dvorak to be available on most systems where the user can configure their input settings. Windows, Mac, and most Linux has Dvorak support built-in that are as easy to add as if you were adding another locale's keyboard layout.
I switched to Colemak and definitely noticed far less movement in my fingers when typing. When learning, switching back to Qwerty after spending time on Colemak I felt like my fingers were big flags waving around in the wind.
However, now several years after switching, I'm still not faster than I was before I switched from Qwerty. (On typeracer.com going between 100 and 120wpm.) I'm also distinctly crippled now when trying to type on someone else's Qwerty keyboard.
Still probably a good move from an RSI standpoint; just be aware before you go into it.
Context here matters. Why are you trying to increase your typing speed?
Do you hunt and peck, and you want to type faster? Do you feel you "don't type very fast," compared to some kind of standard? Are you competing in typing competitions?
If you hunt and peck, your best course of action is to break your habit and learn to type on homerow keys.
If you feel you don't type fast enough using homerow keys, your best bet is just to type more. Perhaps think out a sentence, then test yourself for how fast you can type it versus just typing things off the cuff. I find that when I know what I want to type (e.g. I know a sentence I want to say), I can type blazingly fast, versus typing words as they come out of my brain, which is much slower.
I agree on the context issue as I have been surviving on my simple typing skills for drafting business reports and writing codes. One trick that I use to speed up is by using muscle memory, in the sense that I will estimate exact position and distance that my fingers have to move. I am comfortable using Thinkpad keyboard, however I would be at lost if I have to use other laptops.
As for speed of typing vs mind, I use simple words that requires less characters to express my initial idea. I will gradually revise my sentences to elaborate or simplify it. Perhaps it is my workaround to overcome my shortcoming. Coming up with something to write or code is my bottleneck.
I learned about traditional typing skill using mechanical typewriter. However, I am more at ease with my 1-1 finger movement (1 index finger plus thumb on each hand) on my laptop.
I learned basic touch typing from Mavis beacon. It would show you how to place your hands on the keyboard as you type which the bare minimum feature I consider when searching for typing software to recommend. Right now, It doesn't work properly on windows 10 because it is too old.
There is also https://www.typingclub.com/ which is also a good site but it is riddled by ads (removable by paying of course) and requires you to create an account.
I wish if there was an open-source alternative which is either a terminal or web-based version that also shows how to place hands on the keyboard.
It depends how fast you want to get. You need both skills and good keyboard. You can't type FAST with an average keyboard that doesn't register keys as fast as you can type.
With standard Qwerty touch-typing fingers position, you can build up to 85-95wpm easily. You need a lot of practice to build the muscle memory. You can learn basics in Typingclub.com and then you need a lot more practice in communities like typeracer.com.
If you want to get faster than that, you have to use advanced methods that competitive typist use which is fundamentally very similar to standard touch typing positions but slight difference to make it more efficient.
Different keyboard layouts have the same story. But you could also switch to Dvorak. It does theoretically give you speed boost while it puts less stress on your fingers.
If you don't want to become a competitive typist, better to not go above ~65wpm. You can really hurt your fingers without having proper exercises. You probably don't need more than that in regular jobs either.
Yeah. I type 65-75 wpm. No injuries. However, I only type that speed for short bouts. Emails, notes, planning documents. Typically, I am not typing. When coding, my limit is not my typing speed; it is my thinking through the problem and how to design and test the solution.
There are some fun type racing games online that I love playing at hackathons. I bet if you played them for a few minutes, where you’re typing text as quickly as possible to race others online, you’d improve your speed!
Bear in mind if you're a programmer that touted learning resources that don't include symbol keys are of limited use. There are many speedy human-language typists who have to peer at the keyboard every time they encounter a tilde or Fn key.
I'd also add: only make this a priority if you don't already touch type. If you do, your speed will be adequate, and you'll gain more by adding higher-level tools to your arsenal (refactoring, structural editing, etc). It's sad that in 2020 we're still largely 'editing text' when programming, but careful use of IntelliJ or emacs (amongst others) can often lift the mechanics up a conceptual notch or three.
The best thing I did was go from decent typing by knowing learned patterns (but having to look at the keyboard most of the time), to learning home key typing.
I did this in year 9 at school and my typing speed went down for about a month whilst re-learning.
The idea is you rest your fingers on asdf jkl; and to type a letter, raise the appropriate finger up or down.
Typing programs will teach you quickly by practicing the home keys then adding letters one by one like ‘e’ and ‘i’.
The biggest improvement comes because you don’t need to look at the keyboard. Your efficiency in overall computing tasks increases, then your typing speed rapidly overtakes your old style.
After a while you learn patterns of words so you aren’t always moving a finger off the home key and back like a robot. This is when you get really fast.
Always return to the home keys by feeling for the little bumps on the ‘f’ and ‘j’ keys.
I used to lay in bed at night practicing typing simple words with my brain. I’m sure this helped considerably.
It’s the best thing I ever self learned. Well worth the month of slower typing as my entire adult life typing has been a breeze.
104 comments
[ 3.6 ms ] story [ 174 ms ] thread10/10 would recommend.. also it stops noobs from using your box.
Here's a up to date buying guide, find one that lets you get blank or has a standard layout you can swap with a set of caps you like https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/wiki/buying_gui...
That way, when you're using the mouse and just need to press "#" you can glance at the keyboard to do so.
Probably some misses are because poor registering and not because you.
Not because you what? If you use a mech keyboard, then this isn't a strong endorsement.
In the past three months, I've used these typing game websites and increased my average typing speed from around 80 WPM to 100 WPM.
Some other typing games are 10fastfingers [0] and typerush [1].
If you don't already know how to touch type (i.e. you currently use two fingers to chicken peck), it's best to break that habit by learning to touch type.
[0]: https://10fastfingers.com/
[1]: https://www.typerush.com/
As mentioned typeracer.com is great, there's also 10fastfingers.com as well.
Are you a touch typist?
Try transcribing articles as you read them.
As a consequence, I had to learn to touch-type.
As of now, I am slower than before, but there is hope ;)
I learned touch typing on an electric typewriter at school decades ago so I don't really remember how it is to not know how to do it.
This is what I did to learn typing Dvorak well AFTER I left school:
- I used laminated piece of paper with the layout of the keyboard wedged between monitor and desk. This allowed me to see the keyboard layout without looking at the keyboard.
- I used programs to learn Dvorak
- I used metronome to learn to type constant stream of characters. Pressing shift registers as a single beat. This is not strictly necessary for typing speed but I really like the feel of producing characters this way. My colleagues say the sound is fantastic as if a machine was typing.
- I use only high quality mechanical keyboards with US international layout. I don't waste time on keyboards that have uneven action and don't register presses same way every time.
Play a MUD?
I was tracking my progress on typera.net, which is quite dated, but seems to have a nice balance of challenging words and phrases.
In short, you nailed it. But forgot to mention abusing the power that QMK gives you for reducing reach/key stretch.
How exactly you do that... I'm not sure. But I think it's true.
These designs reduce motion (speed) and are uniformly laid out (accuracy) which is crucial because typing faster alone is not enough
[1]: https://drop.com/buy/preonic-mechanical-keyboard
I have two Ergodashes [1], one for home and one for the office.
It's also not going to increase typing speed. Learning to touch-type can do that, but 99% of the gain from changing the physical keyboard layout (ortholinear / split etc) or logical keyboard layout (Dvorak, Coleman etc) are for typing comfort.
[1] https://github.com/omkbd/ErgoDash
As for public/other computers that I don't get to configure: I found that I never really lost any speed on Qwerty. Whether that's the norm or I got lucky, I am not sure. Also, I find Dvorak to be available on most systems where the user can configure their input settings. Windows, Mac, and most Linux has Dvorak support built-in that are as easy to add as if you were adding another locale's keyboard layout.
However, now several years after switching, I'm still not faster than I was before I switched from Qwerty. (On typeracer.com going between 100 and 120wpm.) I'm also distinctly crippled now when trying to type on someone else's Qwerty keyboard.
Still probably a good move from an RSI standpoint; just be aware before you go into it.
Do you hunt and peck, and you want to type faster? Do you feel you "don't type very fast," compared to some kind of standard? Are you competing in typing competitions?
If you hunt and peck, your best course of action is to break your habit and learn to type on homerow keys.
If you feel you don't type fast enough using homerow keys, your best bet is just to type more. Perhaps think out a sentence, then test yourself for how fast you can type it versus just typing things off the cuff. I find that when I know what I want to type (e.g. I know a sentence I want to say), I can type blazingly fast, versus typing words as they come out of my brain, which is much slower.
As for speed of typing vs mind, I use simple words that requires less characters to express my initial idea. I will gradually revise my sentences to elaborate or simplify it. Perhaps it is my workaround to overcome my shortcoming. Coming up with something to write or code is my bottleneck.
I learned about traditional typing skill using mechanical typewriter. However, I am more at ease with my 1-1 finger movement (1 index finger plus thumb on each hand) on my laptop.
There is also https://www.typingclub.com/ which is also a good site but it is riddled by ads (removable by paying of course) and requires you to create an account.
I wish if there was an open-source alternative which is either a terminal or web-based version that also shows how to place hands on the keyboard.
With standard Qwerty touch-typing fingers position, you can build up to 85-95wpm easily. You need a lot of practice to build the muscle memory. You can learn basics in Typingclub.com and then you need a lot more practice in communities like typeracer.com.
If you want to get faster than that, you have to use advanced methods that competitive typist use which is fundamentally very similar to standard touch typing positions but slight difference to make it more efficient.
Different keyboard layouts have the same story. But you could also switch to Dvorak. It does theoretically give you speed boost while it puts less stress on your fingers.
If you don't want to become a competitive typist, better to not go above ~65wpm. You can really hurt your fingers without having proper exercises. You probably don't need more than that in regular jobs either.
I'd also add: only make this a priority if you don't already touch type. If you do, your speed will be adequate, and you'll gain more by adding higher-level tools to your arsenal (refactoring, structural editing, etc). It's sad that in 2020 we're still largely 'editing text' when programming, but careful use of IntelliJ or emacs (amongst others) can often lift the mechanics up a conceptual notch or three.
I did this in year 9 at school and my typing speed went down for about a month whilst re-learning.
The idea is you rest your fingers on asdf jkl; and to type a letter, raise the appropriate finger up or down.
Typing programs will teach you quickly by practicing the home keys then adding letters one by one like ‘e’ and ‘i’.
The biggest improvement comes because you don’t need to look at the keyboard. Your efficiency in overall computing tasks increases, then your typing speed rapidly overtakes your old style.
After a while you learn patterns of words so you aren’t always moving a finger off the home key and back like a robot. This is when you get really fast.
Always return to the home keys by feeling for the little bumps on the ‘f’ and ‘j’ keys.
I used to lay in bed at night practicing typing simple words with my brain. I’m sure this helped considerably.
It’s the best thing I ever self learned. Well worth the month of slower typing as my entire adult life typing has been a breeze.